I'm happy to welcome as our next guest blogger! Susan is a blogger and manages the social media for InStyleSwimwear.com, an online luxury designer swimwear boutique. To read up on the hottest trends and styles in the resort industry or to get additional fit and style tips, check out their swimwear blog, Beauty and the Beach.

This post is for all the ladies out there (sorry guys, we'll get you next time!) If you're planning a romantic cruise getaway to escape the winter blues, you'll need plenty of swimwear. But ordinary swimsuits simply won't do--you want to choose styles that are chic and sophisticated, and above all, flatter your specific body type. Feeling a bit clueless?  Allow me to help you out.

Bigger Bust

There's nothing worse than a swimsuit top that doesn't fit or cover you properly. Not only does it not look right, but it often leads to an embarrassing bikini blooper. For women with bigger busts and inverted triangle shapes, you want to choose swimsuits that support you well up top. Bra tops or any styles with underwire offer the best support. But if you don't like underwire, opt for a halter top with a thicker fixed underband.

Smaller Bust

On the other hand, women who are smaller up top and/or have triangle shapes need swimsuit styles that accentuate them up top. Front twist or sweetheart style bandeau tops, especially those with molded cups, create a curvier bustline, which is flattering for women with smaller busts. Similarly, skimpy cut triangle tops also serve as flattering options in comparison to halters.

Athletic/Boyish

For women who have athletic, non-curvy builds, you want to look for swimsuits that create the illusion of an hourglass shape. Try fashion-forward monokinis (one-pieces with side cutouts) or twist bandeau tops paired with printed hipster bottoms. Also any style with a ruched Brazilian-cut back helps create a curvier behind.

Curvy

Finally, if you have curves for days, get ready to flaunt them like there's no tomorrow! If you're into two-pieces, dark solid-colored high-waisted swimsuits are both slimming and flattering. But if you prefer one-pieces, opt for styles with sexy plunging necklines that still allow you to show off your best assets.

Although no two women are shaped exactly the same, use these style suggestions as general guidelines when picking out your swimsuits. Above all, choose styles that make you feel  chic and sexy, and get ready for a romance-filled cruise vacation. Happy travels!

We love to share your Royal Caribbean photos every Friday and give everyone a quick "mental escape" to look at some stunning photos.  We want your photos too, so send us your best Royal Caribbean photos to share with the world.

This week, we will begin with a photo from Michael Poole who has this photo from CocoCay that he took in fall 2012.  A day at CocoCay sounds like the perfect escape right about now.

David Caffey took this photo of Freedom of the Seas last week in St Thomas while he was on the Disney Fantasy.  Don't worry David, we will let this little transgression of cruising with another line pass because of this great photo.

Next up is a photo from Lisa Perillo and it's of Split Croatia while being tendered back to Splendour of the Seas from May 2013.  I'd be lying if I said I knew how to say "beautiful" in Croatian but it's a great view!

Connor sent in this photo of looking up at the elevators on Oasis of the Seas.  I never get tired of impressive views like this one.

Here's a photo from Don Harlan of the USS Arizona's oil leak while on his Pearl Harbor Tour excursion from Rhapsody of the Seas.  Don described this photo as "72 years, eerie & somber".  I completely agree.

Lastly, we have this photo from Marnette Severance of Enchantment of the Seas in December 2012, after their third and last cruise on her before she left Baltimore.  

Thank you to everyone that sent in their photos this week and if you have Royal Caribbean photos, well, we want to see them!  You can use this form to send us your photos and we will feature them on an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

After being reported earlier this week, Royal Caribbean officially launched made changes to its unlimited alcohol packages as well as added two new packages to the mix.  

The packages are available across Royal Caribbean's fleet on sailings 4-nights or longer. For North American departures it is available on board only from November 15, 2013. All other international departures it will be available from mid December 2013.

There are now four unlimited drink packages to choose from with changes to the Select and Premium packages (changes have been italicized)

The Royal Replenish Package

$20 per guest each day, includes:

• Premium coffee 
• Premium tea 
• Bottled water 
• Sparkling water (375ml) 
• Still water (500ml) 
• Fresh squeezed orange juice 
• Non-alcoholic cocktails
• Fountain soda with souvenir Coca-Cola cup

The Select Package

$40 per guest each day, includes:

• Beer 
• Wine by the glass (up to $8 value) 
• Non-alcoholic cocktails 
• Fountain soda with souvenir Coca-Cola cup
• 20% discount on purchases of bottles of wine

The Premium Package

$55 per guest each day, includes:

• Call and premium cocktails (up to $10 value) 
• Frozen cocktails 
• Beers 
• Premium wine by the glass (up to $12 value) 
• Non-alcoholic cocktails 
• Still bottled water (500ml) 
• Fountain soda with souvenir Coca-Cola cup 
• 20% discount on purchases of bottles of wine

The Ultimate Package

$65 per guest each day, includes:

• Premium coffee 
• Premium tea 
• Bottled water 
• Sparkling water (375ml) 
• Still water (500ml) 
• Fresh squeezed orange juice 
• Call and premium cocktails (up to $10 value) 
• Frozen cocktails 
• Beers 
• Premium wine by the glass (up to $12 value) 
• Non-alcoholic cocktails 
• Fountain soda with souvenir Coca-Cola cup 
• 20% discount on purchases of bottles of wine

The other major change to the unlimited alcohol packages is now any eligible guest in a stateroom may purchase a package. This is a change from the previous policy where all eligible guests in a stateroom had to purchase a package. 

The new unnlimited beverage packages will be available for guests purchase starting today, November 15th on all ships, and pre-purchase online the first week of December at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/cruiseEnhancements.do or by calling our pre-cruise planning specialists at 1-800-398-9819. Once available online, you can purchase them approximately 2 months before sail date.

All package prices include the 15% gratuity.  Also the the basic soda package and water package stay intact.

Guests who have already bought a ‘Classic’ package prior to the changes in November/December 2013, will receive the new Select package once on board and a refund to their onboard account for the $5 per day difference in pricing.

Guests who have already bought a ‘Premium’ package prior to the changes in November/December 2013, will receive the new Premium package once on board.  If they wish to upgrade to the new Ultimate package, this can be done at a cost added to their onboard account of the $10 per day difference in pricing. 

After suffering with mechanical issues that affected Allure of the Seas for weeks, Royal Caribbean announced today that the world's largest cruise ship will take a week off to undergo repairs to solve the issue.  The repairs will take place at Grand Bahama Shipyard, in Freeport, Bahamas, the week of February 24, 2014. As a result, it will be necessary to cancel the February 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas.

Allure of the Seas' speed has been reduced because of bearing wear in one of its three propulson motors.  There's been no impact on safety of maneuverability, it's simply required Allure to go slower.  

Those guests booked on the February 23, 2014 sailing will recieve a full refund or the option to sail on other itineraries for the same rate.

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein was commented on the need for the repairs, "We sincerely regret that we will be unable to deliver the Royal Caribbean cruise vacation that our guests were looking forward to. We understand that our guests' vacation time is very precious and can assure you that we did not take this decision lightly. But it was very important to us that we bring Allure back up to speed so that she could continue to deliver the amazing cruise vacations our guests expect."

"While Allure could have continued to sail at a reduced rate of speed, we felt it was important to fix the problem as soon as possible," said William D. Baumgartner, senior vice president of Marine Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We explored numerous repair options. Unfortunately, there was no satisfactory solution that did not involve taking the ship temporarily out of service."

In the time between now and the repairs, Allure of the Seas will make minor adjustments to its eastern Caribbean itineraries. Allure of the Seas will now call on Nassau, Bahamas, from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and on Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no need to modify Allure of the Seas' western Caribbean itineraries.

Royal Caribbean released a new photo of Quantum of the Seas progress today, showing a floor-level shot of the "blocks" that make up the ship being assembled together.  On a basic level, cruise ships are assembled by putting together blocks of pre-built units to create the ship's super-structure.

Quantum of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's next cruise ship that will be built and will have her first official cruise in November 2014.

Quantum of the Seas is in the midst of construction currently and already, there's a lot of anticipation for Royal Caribbean's newest class of cruise ship.  With any new ship, questions surrounding the design and architecture process pop up regarding what obstacles and challenges does Royal Caribbean face and how do they get around them.  

We had the chance to speak to Royal Caribbean Design Manager for New Builds Jodi Barozinsky, who is working on the design of Quantum of the Seas about how a Royal Caribbean ship is designed.  Barozinsky has been designing Royal Caribbean ships for a long time, starting with Vision class ships, followed by Radiance class, Voyager class and Oasis class.

Jodi started out working with Royal Caribbean as a design consultant in the 1990s and eventually was hired by Royal Caribbean to work exclusively for them.  Since her work on Oasis of the Seas, she has been working in the design department managing the various designers throughout the world that work on Royal Caribbean's ships.  

Her early work on Vision class, Radiance class and Voyager class was centered around the casino, the theater, kids  area and suites.  Starting with Oasis class and continuing to Quantum class, she's focused more on the overall design of the ship, primarily in the public areas and with the design consultants.

Looking at Quantum of the Seas, the biggest challenge Barozinsky identified was the sheer large span of time involved from when a project begins and when it ends and wanting to keep the design contemporary and relevant to what's hip when the ship launches.

"The period of time that we start and finish is a fairly long period. Sometimes three to four years. Staying up on top of what's current and what's cutting edge is always a challenge," Barozinsky said about how time factors in. "That deadline at the end, they're still delivering that ship in October of 2014.  So, trying to stay current and make sure the design is right for the day it gets delivered is a huge challenge."

As an example, Jodi mentions on Quantum of the Seas they had designed all of the dining rooms and about a year later the Operations team felt the design wasn't, "current" and had to be re-designed.  Thus, the dining rooms have been designed twice so far on Quantum of the Seas.

Another challenge is living up to Royal Caribbean's slogans of delivering the "WOW" to their guests and so with every new class of ship, the designers are tasked with coming up with that new "WOW" while staying within the budgetary confines of the project.

"To get those WOWs in there, it may mean compromising something else that's not as critical and deciding on what those compromises are to get the WOW."

The other consideration for coming up with these WOW ammenities is the small details, like with Oasis class what to do when a deluge of rain hits the ship and where does the water go considering there's a huge "hole" in the middle of the ship where Central Park is and prevent flooding.

Another challenge for Quantum of the Seas is that the designers are calling the ship, "the technology ship", which refers to how the team wants to bring in the newest cutting edge technology onto the ship.  This includes the way Royal Caribbean operates the ship, the signage, art work and so more much. 

When asked about what guests should look for in the design of a Royal Caribbean ship, Barozinsky thinks it's the small, overlooked details of basic design that are major considerations that many guests don't notice.  An example is at any bar, there cannot be anything over the top that may collect dust for health code concerns.  Moreover, what they do design needs to hold up so that something does not need to be torn out and redesigned later due to a health issue.

Also Barozinsky is rather proud of the lengths Royal Caribbean goes to in terms of guest accessibility.  She mentioned Royal Caribbean has its own special guidelines for the cruise line to follow and the result has been a lot of compliments from guests with special needs because they find the ships very accomodating.

So what's the most rewarding aspect of designing a Royal Caribbean cruise ship?  Jodi thinks it's seeing the interest that they get from the highest executive level for what they do and so their work is very imporant and knowing what they work in sails in ports all around the world.  

"Anyone you talk to, whether I'm travelling next to some stranger on a plane and they ask what you do and you get into a conversation.  They know that ship, they know about that room that you designed.  To me, it just feels good.  It made a difference and someone actually noticed something that you worked on.  You can really take pride in that."

If Jodi's work sounds really fun and interesting and you're perhaps a student in college looking to be a designer to, her advice to them is take college courses on ship design, which are already being offered these days.  

Barozinsky also mentioned that Royal Caribbean offers summer internships to interior design or architecture college students and would be a great avenue to take to get the right background to work on a Royal Caribbean team.  She also says you have to love it and you give it your all and be willing to work hard.  And the reward?  The cultural aspect of working with the foreign shipyards as well as the guests you are designing for that come from all over the world.

Royal Caribbean updated the way it offers select guests complimentary upgrades effective earlier this week.

Beginning on November 11th, Crown and Anchor Society members will be considered for a complimentary stateroom upgrade the week prior to a sailing.  The only way to qualify for an updated is to select your upgrade preferences at the Crown and Anchor website at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/CrownandAnchor.

Complimentary upgrades will only be processed for members whose preferences have been registered. 

Upgrades will only be offered within a week prior to the desired sail date as follows:

• Grand Suite to Owner's/Family Suite

• Jr Suite to Grand Suite

• Balcony to Jr Suite

• Oceanview to Balcony

• Interior to Oceanview

The change appears to be a move to standardize the upgrade process, where unsold staterooms were offered to Royal Caribbean passengers that had previously booked the cruise with less direction in terms of who qualifies and when.  While not explicitly mentioned, we are assuming upgade preference will start with the highest level of Crown and Anchor Society membership and filter down through the ranks as availability dictates.

It's podcast day and we have a fresh Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for you to enjoy this week about a topic I think many of you can relate to.

Episode 15 is now available for downloading and it tries to answer the core question of why someone might want to book a Royal Caribbean cruise.

In this episode, Matt looks at what the appeal of a Royal Caribbean cruise is. Matt lists what aspects of a Royal Caribbean cruise seperate Royal Caribbean from the rest of the industry and why you should consider Royal Caribbean for your next (or first) cruise vacation.

We are also answering more listener emails this week all about Royal Caribbean cruising.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 15. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

Royal Caribbean's unlimited alcohol packages have been wildly popular since they debuted last year and there's a number of reports that the cruise line is revamping its unlimited alcohol packages by adding some more options.

According to readers on Cruise Critic, Royal Caribbean has told certain callers that they will change their unlimited drink package options starting on November 15.

The rumored changes and additions to the options are as follows:

• New $20 per day, per person non-alcoholic drink package that includes fountain soda (with the Freestyle cup), specialty coffee & tea, fresh juice.

• Classic unlimited alcohol beer and wine package will remain the same bit with the addition of the Freestyle cup for soda

• Premium unlimited alcohol package will add the Coca-Cola Freestyle cup as well as bottled water and wine up to $12 a glass. 

• A new Ultimate unlimited alcohol package will cost $65 per person, per day and be the same as the Premium package, but adds fresh juice, Red Bull and specialty coffees & teas

These additions and changes to the unlimited alcohol packages are not confirmed by Royal Caribbean directly yet but enough people have had it independently verified by calling the cruise line to warrant reporting the potential change.

Since this is still a rumor, guests cannot purchase the new packages yet. Once we receive confirmation by Royal Caribbean, we will post any and all details to clarify details.  

11/14 9:38am UPDATE: More information is coming in pointing to this rumor being accurate.  Some more details on the new plans include the fact gratuity is included in all the packages. The biggest change for the unlimited alcohol packages is not everyone in the stateroom has to get it.

Select package ($40 per person, per day) includes beer, wine by the glass value up to $8, non-alcoholic cocktails, and the Fountain soda package with cup. 

The Premium unlimited alcohol package ($55 per person, per day) includes cocktails up to $10 value, frozen cocktails, beer, premium wines up to $12 value, non-alcoholic cocktails, 500 ml bottled still water and Fountain soda package with cup. 

Ultimate package ($65 per person, per day) is virtually unlimited including all that is included with the premium package but with no price limit and is $65 per person per day.

A 20% discount off of select premium wines are offered with the Select, Premium and Ultimate packages.

The basic soda package and water package stay intact 

Royal Caribbean is testing a new Wi-Fi technology known as 802.11ac to optimize their Wi-Fi connectivity for the new wave in mobile data usage onboard its ships.  

Network World is reporting that Royal Caribbean is testing Meru Networks' just-released 11ac product, the AP 832.

"It’s a two-radio product, each radio capable of running in either 2.4 or 5Hz bands, supporting three spatial streams, a maximum data rate of 1.3Gbps, and the ability to run all three streams and support 80-MHz wide channels on both radios over existing 802.3af Power-over-Ethernet."

Tests of the new networking gear have been conducted at Royal Caribbean's "ship lab" in Florida, which mimics conditions on board a ship, involved four Meru AP832 access points with 11ac and 11n clients. The results of the tests found up to 782 Mbps receiving and 634Mbps sending.  That is a signifigant upgrade compared to the company’s existing 11n Wi-Fi target of 200Mbps.

“We were able to see a 40 percent improvement with the new [11ac] chipset,” says Greg Martin, IT director for Royal Caribbean.

The potential benefit of this technology for Royal Caribbean is doing away with Ethernet cabling for numerous VoIP phones, digital signage, kiosks and similar endpoints.  In addition, it will reduce the cabling needs aboard the cruise ships, which is expensive.

The next test comes in December when Royal Caribbean will use the 11ac products in a pilot program at its Oregon call center. A limited test is also planned for Navigator of the Seas in January.

Royal Caribbean plans to deploy 11ac as the standard in all new ships, and phase in 11ac upgrades to the existing fleet. The next new ship, Quantum of the Seas, likely will be the first of the company’s ships to get a stem-to-stern 11ac wireless LAN.

Adding Wi-Fi to Royal Caribbean's ships has been a boon financially, with more guests buying internet access onboard their ship and that has translated well to the company's bottom line in recent quarters.